One embodiment of the current invention describes a casing (or case, sleeve, protection, jacket, folder, or container) for a mobile device (or gadget), such as a cell phone, GPS unit, MP3 player, camera, or laptop computer. As LED, battery and phone technologies become more advanced, mobile phones, which have had cameras on them for some time, are now starting to incorporate flashes, as well. Two models of phones that utilized these flashes in 2009 were the Palm Pre and the Motorola Droid. In 2010, Google introduced the Nexus One with a flash and Apple updated its iPhone to the iPhone 4 to include a flash.
Cases are often used with these devices to protect them from shock and cosmetic scratching. However, a problem exists with the flash, when the device is used with a case. The flashes have a very wide angle of light so that everything within the view of the camera is illuminated (FIG. 1). The intensity of the light decreases from the main cone of light as the angle increases off-the-center of the field of view, into the secondary cone of light. This is a gradual decreasing of intensity from the main cone of light to the secondary cone of light and through it.
The distinction between the main and secondary cones of light can be roughly marked or distinguished using the following rule: The secondary cone (boundary) is defined as the space or area that gets altered by a case, in terms of erroneous color and image, if one is not using the current invention.
When a case, skin, shield or cover is applied to the device for protection, styling, or other user-desired purposes, this case needs to have a cut out for the camera and its flash. Even with a substantial cut out in the case, the case often interferes with the secondary cone of light (FIG. 2). This interference has a negative impact, if the case is constructed in any color other than a neutral shade (i.e. constructed in any color other than a shade of gray ranging from white to black). In a case with a non-neutral color surrounding the flash, the reflected light that bounces off the case and reaches the subject or surrounding area is imparted with a component of the color of the case (FIG. 3, items 318 and 320). For example, a pink case will yield light that has a pink component. This pink light will drench the subject, and the resulting photo will have a pink tone.
FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of flash or lens for a camera unit, on another gadget or mobile device, with main cone of light and secondary cone of light. FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of flash or lens for a camera unit, on another gadget or mobile device, with main cone of light and secondary cone of light, having the jacket, case, or cover, for protection.
FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of flash or lens for a camera unit, on another gadget or mobile device, with main cone of light and secondary cone of light, having the jacket, case, or cover. The light reflecting from a colored case imparts a component of that color upon the subject, after the flash, or has that color component imparted back on the picture, film, sensors, or image, when the light comes into the lens, from one or more reflections, refractions, or diffractions, adding or subtracting colors or components of spectrum (e.g. items 318 and 320 in FIG. 3). Even though the interference of the case and the light takes place in the secondary cone of light, due to reflections, the color is imparted not only into the secondary cone of light, but also into the main cone of light, where the primary subject matter resides. This phenomenon also applies to the flash for a camera or image/video recorder.
However, with this invention and its embodiments described here, we are solving this problem and dramatically reducing this effect.